The modern athletic shoe is a highly refined combination of many elements which have specific functions, all of which work together for the support and protection of the foot during an athletic event. The various elements of the athletic shoe also should be designed to enhance or aid the performance of an athlete in an athletic event. A shoe is divided into two general parts, an upper and a sole.
The upper is designed to snugly and comfortably enclose the foot. Typically, it will have several layers including a weather and wear-resistant outer layer of leather or synthetic material, such as nylon, and a soft, padded inner layer for foot comfort. The other major portion of an athletic shoe is the sole. In a training shoe designed for running, the sole must have an extremely durable bottom surface to contact the ground, together with a shock absorbing midsole to absorb the considerable force to which the foot and leg are subjected during the repeated ground contact which occurs during long distance running or jogging.
Where an athletic event requires rapid acceleration and deceleration, and where ground conditions permit, cleats are frequently incorporated into the outsole of athletic shoes to enhance traction. The particular shape of the cleats and their location along the outsole depend upon the particular event for which the soles are designed, and in some instances, upon the ground surfaces on which the shoes will be used. Athletic shoes with cleated outsoles are used in track and field events such as sprint races, jumping, and javelin throwing, and in sports such as soccer, football and baseball.
Examples of specialized athletic shoes with cleated outsoles are found in the patent literature. A cleated athletic shoe designed for use in a variety of athletic events such as baseball and football is disclosed in U.s. Pat. No. 4,327,503 issued on May 4, 1982 to Jeffrey O. Johnson. The sole in the '503 patent includes relatively large first cleats disposed about the periphery of the outsole and a plurality of smaller second cleats located in interior areas of the outsole. The peripheral first cleats are in the shape of a section of a frustrum, while the interior second cleats are generally conical shaped. Athletic shoes particularly adapted for use in baseball are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,347,674 and 3,977,096. In the '674 patent, curved thin plate cleats are formed in a circular arrangement at both the forefoot and heel portions of the sole. The cleats can be made of any rigid material, such as steel, or a rigid rubber. In the '096 patent, cleats or spikes extend from a spike plate which is resiliently mounted to the heel.
A typical baseball shoe with metal sleats uses a goup of three metal cleats in the forefoot portion of the sole and a second group of three metal cleats in the heel portion of the sole. Each of the metal cleats is in the form of a thin metal plate, e.g., 1/16" thick, which is relatively long, e.g., 5/8", and high, e.g., 7/16". Such metal cleats provide good traction in a variety of surfaces. The metal cleats dig in well into the dirt of a batter's box, and penetrate through grass, wet or dry, into the dirt subsurface of the outfield. However, beginning with the spring 1984 season, metal cleats on baseball shoes will no longer be permitted for use in high school baseball. Thus, a cleat arrangement and shape which will accomplishes the objectives of metal cleats, but is constructed of plastic is required for high school baseball shoes. The present invention was designed to accomplish this purpose. Of course, the baseball shoe of the present invention can be used in other levels of baseball competition.